


The Bygone and the American Keen.

by ShortyBefore



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: American Companion, Drama, F/M, Tenth Doctor Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-06-03 15:23:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19466767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShortyBefore/pseuds/ShortyBefore
Summary: After Rose and Martha the 10th Doctor feels lost and alone. He decides to return to Earth where he meets another woman a pond away and something about her feels perilously intresting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this for fun. Comment or whatever if you want. Think of this OC as a character in a special.

It hurt. Being alone actually hurt him. He kept catching himself speaking out loud to nothing and no one, the silence the only response to his quips. The Tardis hummed around him, hurtling through the void of space but not going anywhere in particular. The only place he wanted to be was that blue planet, one of his favorite places in all of the wide universe. The Doctor went to put in the coordinates for London, England but he paused, thinking back to all of the recent events and raw hurt he felt.

“Maybe not England this time,” The Doctor uttered. He pulled on the lever that would take him to Earth, but there were no exact coordinates. The Tardis would take him wherever it wanted and he welcomed it.

* * *

The blue door to the Tardis opened and the first thing he noticed was the balmy heat.

He put his hands in his pockets and looked around, “Oof, I’m really not in England am I?” Judging by the way the cars were facing on the street and the shade of blue that the signs he could tell where he had ended up.

“United States, California?” he stuck his bottom lip out and almost rolled his eyes. “Los Angeles.”

It was then when he became aware of people chatting and the bumping bass of music. A smile came to his lips when he saw the nightclub, neon light pouring from the open door that people were lined up at, clearly eagerly waiting to enter. The Doctor strolled towards the door, his hands casually in his pockets as he looked at what the club goers were wearing. Overalls, crop tops, fanny packs, and grunge band shirts. “I can’t be in the 90s,” he questioned looking at the sleek black mirror devices in their hands.

The bouncer stepped in front of the door and shook his head at the Doctor’s approach. “Do you see the line?” the broad man asked, an irritated vain wiggling at the side of his bald head.

“Yeah, back of the line!” A girl hissed, the screen of the device in her hand lighting up to show ‘Instagram’.

“Ohhhh. I get it now, 90’s party.” The Doctor grinned. “Must be in the 2000s somewhere, 2017 or--” at his muttering to himself the bouncer and the people at the front of the line gave him weird looks.

“It’s 2019, duh.” the rude girl said, and it was then he realized that she was dressed as Madonna. 

He pulled out his Psychic paper and flashed it, “Just a quick inspection with the City of Los Angeles.” At that, the bouncer stepped aside and let him. Strobe lights cut through the air, making the vapor from the smoke machine visible like flashing clouds floating 4 feet off of the concrete floor. There was a mix of smells in the air, alcohol, different types of body sprays on different bodies, and the very noticeable scent of weed.

“Looking back to the past for enjoyment makes sense when you’re stuck in the Trump Era.” The Doctor shook his head and took a seat at the bar. “This is a rough decade.” Next to him a group of young people huddled together and started flashing pictures of themselves.

The tall, built bartender turned her head to him as he sat down and smiled. “What can I get you?” she asked, idly cracking her knuckles on her side of the bar.

“Ohhh. I think I’ll have a good ol’ American beer. A Budweiser!”

The bartender nodded and went to get him a glass. The music changed from rap to pop, and groups of girls all clattered to the dance floor, trying not to spill their drinks.

_ I see ya blowin' me a kiss _

_ It doesn't take a scientist _

_ To understand what's going on, baby _

The Doctor turned his head as if called to by some outside force. His brown eyes scanned the room for what he was supposed to see. It was then he saw her. She led her group of friends inside stepping in platform boots as if she was born wearing them. The Doctor recognized who she was dressed as instantly, the leopard print bikini top, leopard print mini skirt, leopard print boots and two buns on either side of her head like horns. Scary Spice. His favorite Spice Girl.

_ If you see something in my eye _

_ Let's not over analyze _

_ Don't go too deep with it, baby (baby) _

The light played off of her brown skin showing its smoothness. Her face becoming clearer the closer she moved. Wavy dark hair framed her face, and she glanced around with black eyes. The Doctor’s gaze dropped from her face to examine the rest of her. She had a belly button ring, the metal glinting in the light as it laid against her slightly soft stomach. Her long nails were painted bright neon green and he spied a small scar above her right breast.

_ So let it be what it'll be _

_ Don't make a fuss and get crazy over you and me _

‘Scary Spice’ moved closer, one of her friends said something and her serious expression cracked into a stunning smile. Earth girls always have the best smiles.

_ Here's what I'll do _

_ I'll play loose _

_ Not like we have a date with destiny _

Then at that exact moment. She turned her head and her eyes locked with his. At her direct stare, he felt his hearts shutter in his chest. The look lasted only seconds, but it felt as if it lingered. The sudden tenseness from her dark stare flickered away as she wiggled her way to the dance floor with her friends. The Doctor swallowed hard as he continued to watch the woman, who he now found to be mysterious. There among the other bodies, she danced along to the song, twisting her ample hips from side to side.

The Doctor kept watch on her during that song and the next while he drank is very mediocre American beer. Eventually, a tall blonde man approached her from behind, assuming her movement was an open invitation. There was something about the stranger, something slightly off, something slightly inhuman. The Doctor put his glass down and was ready to walk over, but as soon as 'Scary Spice' felt someone against her, she turned around and pushed him back, hard. He staggered, almost falling, but managed to catch himself. The woman leered at the man for a split of a second her dark eyes fixed on him unwavering. In reaction, the odd stranger’s face twitched and he shuffled away. The song switched.

_ Hit it _

_ This ain't no disco _

_ And it ain't no country club either _

_ This is L.A. _

To the rhythm of Sheryl Crow’s ‘All I Wanna Do’ the girl danced her way over to the bar, directly next to him.

“Can I get some water?” she asked in a smoky voice. While he was looking at her she turned her head. The dark freckles on the bridge of her nose were a pleasant surprise.

“Who are you dressed as?” she asked.

With a chuckle he finished his drink, “I’m the Doctor.”

“Tight,” she said, as the bartender set her water down.

“Hum, people usually say ‘Doctor Who?’ to that line."

“Oh, that was a line was it?” she asked, the huskiness in her voice just a pleasant as her face. It took him a second to realize what she meant.

“Oh! No! No. No. Not like that!” he cleared his throat. “I mean when I say that people usually respond with ‘Doctor Who’? It wasn’t a line, to you. Not a pick-up line.”

She let out a friendly laugh and shook her head, “I was just joking sorry sorry. Sometimes when I’m high I sound serious.”

“Oh, ha. Well, who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?”

With another grin, she said, “I’m Monica.”

"Well Monica Scary Spice, eh?" He said, motioning to her hair and outfit.

Monica took another drink of water before speaking. "She's obviously the best and the best looking."

At her comment, The Doctor made an unsure face and then stuck out his bottom lip in realization. She was right, Mel B was and still is (in this current timeline) a stone cold fox. He parted his lips to speak but at the first beat of the next song some of the club goers let out excited yelps.

"Oh! Sorry, gotta go!" Monica yelled over the beat, as she hopped back to the dance floor and her group of friends to Cypress Hill's 'Jump Around.' Between the flicker of the green strobe lights and the pounding of her heart, Monica glanced back over to the bar, curious if he was watching her dance but he was gone.

* * *

For a while, more Monica danced to the 90s songs and drank with her friends. Eventually, the group came up with a plan to move to another club to continue the night's festivities. Before leaving the club Monica threw one more glance over to the bar, she still didn't see him. The lot of them moved out into the warm night.

"Ay, Mo'. Wanna hit off of this?" Asked her friend Casey, who was one of the many girls dressed like Brittany Spears from the Baby 'One More Time' video, including the pink hair puffs on blond pigtails. Monica glanced down at the joint between Casey's fingers, she took it from her and took a hit. While the group was trying to figure out where they were going to go next, Monica enjoyed the smoke in her lungs and dizzily glanced around the street. What she saw was out of place, a blue box. It was out of place as if plucked from somewhere else.

Monica took another hit from the joint and walked over to it. As she got closer she could make out writing on it that said 'Police Public Call Box.'

"What is this?" She uttered to herself, stomping out the joint on the heel of her platform shoe before she reached up for the door handle. It felt like something was pulling her to the box, an ethereal string wrapped around her wrist, being tugged closer and closer to the anomaly. A roaring silence deafening in her ears. However, before she could touch the object there was a sound she had never heard before, a high pitched scream that shook her to her soul. Monica whipped around and saw the man that harassed her earlier, and in the shadows, his eyes shone in the dark like a beast.

"I got ya." He grinned and ran towards her. To Monica time slowed and there was the feeling of an immediate slipping. As if she was losing herself to something unknown, but that something wasn't the man in front of her. There was an unexpected snap buzz and then a crack and the stranger screamed and crumbled to the ground. Panting and shaken Monica looked down the L.A street. There he was, The Doctor. He was pointing something blue and bright at the man. Monica frantically looked up, expecting to see her friends running over to see what the commotion was about, but they were gone. And no one around seemed to have noticed.

Without a word, the Doctor strolled over to the crumpled stranger on the concrete. He lowered his brow and then glanced up at Monica who was shivering, her back pressed against the Tardis door, her brown eyes wobbling with tears.

"You can see it?"

"See-see what?" Monica asked.

He glanced behind her. "The Tardis. You shouldn't be able to see. It's out of sync. It should be hidden." Cautiously he walked to her, with his hands up as to not further startle her.

"What the fuck was that!?" She finally blurted and pointed repeatedly at the man on the ground. "His eyes, did you see his eyes?"

"Yeah, he's a Zeern. They're like galactic porches. Hunting living rarities across the universe." The Doctor blinked quickly and leered at her harder. "Why would they cross the stars for a human woman?" he questioned. Now positive there was something unusual about her. Monica offered nothing but her wide eyes and perplexed expression. "What are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

The words _'What are you?'_ To Monica, it sounded like a ridiculous question. All of the things she was were obvious. Black, women, human. "What the hell you mean? What are you?" she snapped, the confusion of the situation overwhelming her.

"They wouldn't travel all this way for an average human woman." The Doctor said, shaking his head. "Out with it, come on." he smiled. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." The tone of his voice coming off just a bit too playful.

"Excuse me?!" The tone in Monica's voice made it clear that just shoved his foot directly in his mouth. "If you didn't just save me from that-" she pointed a finger at the stranger on the ground. "I would slap you in the mouth."

The Doctor blinked quickly, realizing how that idiom was pretty strange, and people could get the wrong idea. "No! No. No. I didn't mean anything like that! I just mean, if you tell me what you are I'll tell you what I am, and maybe I can help." Over his shoulder, he glanced back at the dead Zeern on the pavement. "They're obviously after something so --" At his words, Monica let out a whimper her face wearing a very terrified and confused expression. The Doctor let out a sigh, "Oh." He hung his head. "You don't know, do you…"

"I don't know what you're talking about at all." Monica yelped, running her finger along the scar on her chest. Somewhere down the street, they heard the 'whoop, whoop' of an ambulance or a police car echoing through the road.

With a grunt, the Doctor threw his head back. Of course, this had to be the reason he was there. "Well, in that case, I should see you home."

"No, I don't think so. I don't know you," she said firmly. 

"Listen Monica, there's more of those things. They don't just send one. There's probably a whole squad here looking for you."

Monica glanced back at the dead thing on the ground, her bottom lip quivering as she took in what he was telling her. "You saw that I saved you from one of them, there could be more at your house waiting for you."

Without a word, Monica pulled put her phone from the tiny 90's inspired purse she was holding onto and flicked through the apps. "I'll call for an Uber, but please know I'm going to call my friends and have them waiting outside so don't try anything."

"I figured I would just take you in here." He said, motioning towards at the Tardis.

For a second, she stared at him with suspicious narrow eyes. "You're gonna take me home in a police box?" Monica asked, the sarcasm scathing in her tone.

"It just looks like a police box, but it's a ship." He unlocked the door and went to step in. "Don't you find it weird that none of your friends saw it when you did, and when you came over to it they left you? As if they just overlooked you?" The door closed behind him, leaving the questions lingering in the warm air. Monica bit the inside of her cheek and glanced back down the street, the few people walking about were not watching them at all, and they should have been. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

For a dizzying moment, Monica stood just past the doorway, holding her breath. Her brain fizzles in utter confusion at sight in front of her.

"Okay! So, where are we going again?" The Doctor asked with a smile. Monica didn't respond, only opening the door again and looking at the street that they had just come from. Quickly, she stepped back outside, walked around the box, expecting some explanation for the extra space inside.

"What? What? What the fuck!?" Monica yelled as she ran back inside. At the slack-jawed look on her face The Doctor chuckled, he loved that look on everyone that stepped into the Tardis, but it was particularly special when Earth women did it. "It's so big," she whispered, tilting her head up to the ceiling that went on and on into a vast eternity.

"Yes, yes, it's bigger on the inside. Now, where do you live?"

Monica squinted at the question, the unexplainable events of the night, causing her to forget the most basic of information momentarily. "Uhh, The Dunes, Inglewood," she uttered as she wandered over to where he was. Monica touched one of the many levers and bit back the sudden urge to pull it. "How does this work?"

"It's insanely complicated." The Doctor said with a wink as he tapped on a screen, hit a button and pulled the lever that Monica's hand on. The warmth of her hand startled him, but she didn't seem to notice that they had ever touched.

There was a sudden jerk, a whooshing noise, and Monica thought for sure she would vomit. She clenched her eyes shut, and then as quickly as the movement came, it stopped suddenly dead. Somewhere and everywhere she heard a sound a 'wah wah wah,' it made the hairs on her arm jump to attention. With the nail of her index finger, she traced the scar on her right breast, Monica whispered to herself. "That sound."

"We're here! Now, we need to get to the bottom as to why the Zeern are looking for you!" The Doctor stated, running for the door, but he realized that Monica wasn't following him. When he glanced back at her, she was dizzily leaning against the pilot's chair, eyes wide and perplexed. "Monica."

At the sound of her name, she shook her head, the feeling of trepidation sinking finally. "Right. Sorry, it's not every day that shit like this happens," she said following him. The Doctor opened the door, and as promised, they were at her apartment complex, right by the pool that sat in the center of the complex.

"Eh, the first trip in the Tardis usually freaks people out." He said, following her outside and through the apartment building.

"Wait, you're just gonna leave the…" the silliness of the word made Monica pause. "Tardis there by itself?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, "It's hidden, phased out of time. Most people don't notice it. I guess we also need to figure out why you could see it. Maybe some low-level psychic ability?" he rambled as they walked up to the stairs to her unit. Monica went to take her keys out, but the Doctor shook his head. "Let me do it. Just in case there's something on the other side."

"Tight, but don't you need the keys?" Monica's question was answered when he pulled out the device with the blue light at the tip and pointed it at the door. There was a dull 'click' and the door unlocked.

"Who needs keys, when you have a sonic screwdriver?" The Doctor slowly pushed the door open, thankful that the living room lights were on so they weren't met with total darkness. At the silence, they both walked in cautiously but didn't see anything immediately. The Doctor moved down the dark hallway that led to the back of the apartment. With a flick of the wall light switch, the light came on, and down the corridor staring directly at him stood a tall, built Zeern. At the sight of it, Monica nearly shrieked but stopped short before the sound left her mouth.

The Doctor put himself between Monica and the alien. "What do you want?" he questioned, pointing the screwdriver driver at the intruder. The alien laughed, flashing its sharp teeth, and glancing behind the Doctor. The pupils of its yellow slitted eyes widened at the sight of Monica.

In a low gravelly voice, it spoke, "Her." Without warning, the Zeern hunched down and sprinted towards the Doctor. With a swing of its muscular arm, the Zeern struck the Doctor directly in the jaw. The impact hit him like a boulder, hard and solid, enough to drop him to the floor due to the surprise of it.

The scream that Monica was attempting to bite back finally left her lungs, so loud and shrill that it hurt her own ears. The Zeern moved, charging towards her. In the space within one second and two, the Doctor watched in horror, and then shock. Mechanically Monica's right hand went up, palm out, and a force stopped the Zeern. The black waves of her hair rose, waving around her head in defense of gravity. Immediately her eyes took on a reflective metallic shine, the color inside of her human sockets sent disturbing a chill through down his spine. There was something ineffable about the power that was seeping from her.

_ "Leave."  _ Monica demanded of the Zeern, her voice not her own. It was old, something far more ancient than any human.

The Zeern squealed, drool dripping from its mouth as it tried to claw at her, but the force she was radiating kept it in place. "No, we will not leave. You will die."

Monica raised her hand, lifting the Zeern into the air. _"Die? That sounds like that's something you're about to do."_

The atmosphere in the room twisted, Monica clenched her teeth, and with a sudden jerk of her arms, the Zeern was ripped apart. It's limbs flung from its torso violently, orange blood and bits of body matter splashed everywhere. Its head tore away from its body as well; the head knocked the wall with a thud and landed on the floor in front of her platform shoes. Panting from shock, The Doctor watched as Monica bent down and plucked up the Zeerns decapitated head. For a tense and soundless moment, she gazed in its empty dead eyes before she turned her attention to the Doctor.

With an eerie smile, she whispered. _"Be careful, Timelord."_

Before the Doctor could ask any questions of the entity before him, the air quivered shifted back to normal. As abruptly as it came, Monica's otherworldly appearance melted away, her eyes going back to their human color. The Zeerns head slipped from her grasp, rolled for a second, and then came to rest- eyes up to nothing. Wilting and stunned, again, she ran her finger along the scar above her right brest. 

"What am I?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hot Girl Summer 2019 with cosmic horror vibes.


	3. Chapter 3

Behind the bathroom door, the Doctor could hear the pattering of the shower spray, other than that the whole apartment was silent as a tomb. Monica had left him in the room, with the chunks and limbs of the Zeern, the eyes inside its decapitated head staring emptily at nothing. 

The Doctor glanced around her bedroom, the gore in stark contrast to the cream, and white decor, framed photos of palm trees, a cork-board filled with concert tickets and Polaroids. He stared at the pictures of her and her friends, drinks and joints in their hands, wide mouth laughing and splendidly entertained with the world around them. A certain one of her alone caught his eye, her eyes slightly obscured by yellow-tinted sunglasses, the beach behind her, wearing a tiny golden bikini.

At the admittedly alluring picture, the Doctor narrowed his eyes and looked closer. There was something there, an anomaly. Right, where the scar was, above her right breast, there was a tiny flick of light snapped like a sunburst, it was metallic like the color in her eyes.

The bathroom door clicked open, and Monica stepped out, the water from her wet curls, dripping onto the shoulder of her grey tee-shirt.

"Sorry, I had to shower. I had that things blood all over me." Monica said, the terrified wobble now gone from her voice.

"Understandable." The Doctor said, giving her a wary look before he took out his Sonic screwdriver and fiddled with the settings for a bit before he waved it around the room. There was a pulse of light that instantly vaporized what was left of the dismembered Zeern, leaving only piles of smothering ash. The Doctor smiled and put the screwdriver back in his pocket. "I told it to get rid of all nonliving organic matter. Came in handy." He half expected Monica to smile slightly, but she didn't, only glaring at him unblinkingly. 

"You need to explain to me what is going on before I fucking lose my mind." she snapped. The Doctor nodded and reached over for the Polaroid and yanked it from the cork-board.

"Have you ever noticed this?" 

Monica snatched the picture from him and looked at him. "Um. Yeah, this an excellent picture. I love that bikini."

"Yes, I agree, but! Have you ever noticed…" he pointed at the fleck of light. "Have you ever noticed that?"

"What is that?" Monica uttered, "It's right above.."

"Your scar," he examined her expression; and saw a definite realization flick across her face. "You touch that scar a lot, you know. Where did you get that scar?"

A sickly wave washed over Monica as she stumbled backward and took a seat on the edge of her bed. Running a fingernail along the raised scar, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"When I was little, I went to Yosemite National Park with my family. I got lost or wandered off…" For a moment, Monica paused, eyes staring off into the distant memory, recalling the smell of the great trees.

"I was missing for 4 hours apparently." Monica looked back down to the picture.

"Apparently?" he questioned, rubbing his chin.

Monica only offered him a casual shrug of her shoulders, "Yeah, it felt like moments to me. And when they found me, I had this," she pointed at the scar. "It was a gash, and I don't remember how I got it. I do remember having to get stitches. Monica narrowed her eyes and glared down at the picture. "How did I not notice that?" 

The Doctor made a raspberry sound with his lips, "Maybe you didn't want to notice? It happens more than you think." He put his hands behind his back and paced around the bedroom, which still smelt of vaporized flesh and citrus body wash from her shower. "You don't remember anything? Anything at all?"

Shifting uncomfortably on the bed, Monica huffed, "I don't know, there something. A feeling or a sound I didn't like it. It made me feel queasy. Other than that, I remember the trees and being scared but nothing else." She bit the inside of her cheek and tasted the metallic sting of blood. "My parents thought I hit my head, so that's why I don't remember." still eyeing the picture, staring so hard that her eyes started to water. The glinting light right at the sight of the scar caused her gut to twist with an unknowable illness, an oil slick in her gut.

"Okay, okay. So, when you were a child, you went missing in a place known for strange occurrences. A few hours later, you show back up, with no memory and a wound on your chest." The Doctor paced some more in silence, his facial expressions tense before he looked to where the Zeerns head once laid. "Whatever that power was, it was old." 

"How do you know?" Monica asked, finally able to pull her eyes away from the picture. 

"It knows what I am. It called me a Time Lord," he said, but Monica only offered a confused blink. 

"Wait." She put her hand up to stop him from talking just in case. "Few questions. One: Time Lord? That sounds fake. Two: are you implying something living inside of me? Like, on some demon shit?"

The Doctor almost laughed but bit back the smile. "Well first, Time Lord is a real thing, it's what I am and exactly. I just don't know why something that powerful would choose to live in an average human."

"Woah, average? I'm not sure who you're looking at, but I'm a solid 9. Also, if why do Time Lords look like people?"

"The Doctor rubbed his forehead at the question. " _You_ look like Time Lord, and I wasn't referring to your looks you're fine--"

"Fine?" Monica uttered with a suck of her teeth, but the Doctor ignored her and kept talking. 

"What I was trying to stay is that kind of power wouldn't do well in a human, you're soft and fleeting and -" He stopped and gaped at her with his lips slightly parted. "And easy to destroy...that kind of force would rip a normal human being apart. That should have made you collapse on yourself, but you didn't." 

At his words, Monica stood up quickly and shook her head, "I think I know what you're implying, but it doesn't make any sense. I'm human. I was born here!" she protested, recalling all of her childhood memories, the baby pictures of her, the stories from her parents about when she was born. The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch away from his touch at first. 

"Monica whatever is inside of you it has immense power, not something a human mind and body could function wit. It was strong enough to kill you the moment you came into contact it with it, but it didn't. Don't you want to know why?" 

Monica shifted from foot to foot and looked up at him. "You can find out?" she asked. 

"Oh hell yeah I can." The Doctor grinned, intrigued by this new and shiny mystery in front of him. Monica felt a glow of excitement bloom in her belly at the idea, but reality smacked her back. 

"Wait, I can't just go. I have work in the morning." 

'Ha! Work?" he flicked his hands dismissively. "We can go anywhere within space and time. We'll go solve this mystery then I'll drop you back here, and work will be there in the morning." The Doctor didn't feel like he was lying, because it could happen. A few trips in the Tardis and he would put her back where she belonged.

For a moment, Monica didn't speak, only giving him a suspicious glance before her expression softened. "Okay, one second. I have to change for this." she walked away, went to her closet door, and stepped in. Once the door clicked shut behind her, she almost collapsed under the weight of her wobbly legs but caught herself with sheer will. Alone, Monica held out her hands and stared down at her tan palms. "I am human." Everything she was hinged on her humanity, without that what was there? A fuzzy grey question mark of an existence. Monica bit her cheek again, this time internally warming her mouth with the known taste of blood. She dabbed the inside of her mouth and looked at her finger, red as it always had been. "Nothing more than human," she whispered before getting changed, aware that she was compartmentalizing her terror.

The sound of the closet door opening caused the Doctor to turn his head, from her bookshelf which about half science and half pulpy romance novels.

"Ahh. Is that your space outfit?" The Doctor asked. 

"It's my best Fashion Nova jumpsuit." Monica put her hands on her hip and shrugged. "Jumpsuits are spacey," she looked down at her shoes. "And Jordan's are comfortable." Monica shrugged on her jean jacket and snapped on her fashionable and functional fannypack. From her marbled end table, she picked up a neatly rolled joint.

"I can smoke this J in the Tardis, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update in 2 weeks. <3


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay, okay!" the Doctor clapped his hands when they stepped inside the Tardis. "Monica, can you please stand right there?" he pointed at a spot on the by the door.

Monica wrinkled her brow skeptically. "Why?" she asked as she moved to where he pointed.

The Doctor ran over to one of the many control room screens.   
"I didn't want to ruin the surprise before, but we should run a quick scan." He pressed a key, and Monica winced in anticipation, expecting something uncomfortable, but there was nothing. "Huh.."

"Huh? Huh for what?" Monica asked as she walked over to the screen, there was nothing but a white outline of where she stood, the rest of the image black.

"Dang it, that entity seems to be on a wavelength that is blocking the scanner that I have." The Doctor sighed before tapping on a few things and pulling a lever. Monica felt her ears pop, and she staggered backward due to the force of the Tardis' movements. "Oh well worth a shot. No worries, I know a few places were we can find out what you are."

"And where is that?" Monica asked, still studying at the image on the screen. It looked like a ghost, an outlined specter that filled her with dread. Silently, the Doctor noticed her scared but fascinated stare at the scan.

Impishly he pouted and looked up to his eyebrows as if he was thinking.

"The Irt Medical Facility, Kree System."

Finally, Monica looked over at him, "So, a space hospital?" she cringed, "Are they going to take my blood?"

The Doctor flicked a switch, and the Tardis shook and swung another way. "Maybe! Actually more than likely."

"Ew," she shivered, shaking out her short wavy hair. "You know, I don't know my blood type." again she looked down at her palms, trying to to find something dissimilar about them.

The direction the Tardis was hurtling through space and time changed, causing Monica to lose her balance and stumble. The Doctor grabbed her before she could smack her face on the grated floor.

"I got ya," he said, flicking her a charming smile. There was a small quirk in the side of Monica's lip, something knowing and playful.

"You do this a lot, don't you?" she asked, as the Tardis finally stopped and made it's whooshing noise.

The Doctor was about to ask her what she meant, although he already knew, but he stopped when the smile slipped from her lips.

"What is it?" he asked, taking her by her hand.

"Nothing." Monica pulled away from his touch, unsettled by how human he felt. "I just don't like the sound of this thing. It's weird."

"Huh, that's weird." The Doctor blinked, put his hands in his pockets. "It's a fantastic noise." he turned and ran to the door. "We should get your ears checked while we're here!"

At the door, The Doctor glanced at Monica, who was visibly holding her breath next to him. As he pushed it open, he keep his eyes on her, the honest wonderment on her face made him grin. Dazzlement was rare, but it was clear. He adored that look. It never got old.

"Holy shit!" Monica squeaked as they stepped out in the blinding white massive complex. In awe, Monica craned her neck upwards to the ceiling and gasped. "It's so big!" she yelled, far louder than she was expecting and her voice echoed.

Behind her, the Doctor laughed, "Welcome to 4 million light-years from Earth." he said.

"No! For real!?"

The walls, floors, and most of the services were stark white and polished to reflection. The only color was the black of the high, high ceiling, and the green hologram flickering screens that served as notifications.

Monica blinked quickly and shook her head in a bewildered reaction. "Wait, why is that in English?"

"The Tardis is translating for you." The Doctor said, walking ahead. Monica followed while still gawking around in amazement. Casually a humanoid creature with two heads strolled past them, the sight of them was so jarring that Monica had to do a double-take. A very nasty but human urge to other the different kicked in, but then she remembered what she had done to the Zeern. The inhuman violence she caused with a move of her hand. Nothing could be too shocking now.

They reached a receptionist desk at the end of the long counter and were greeted by a woman with the face of a serpent greeted them with a sharp tooth smile.

"Hello, welcome to The Irt Medical Facility! How can I help you today?" she asked, her forked tongue slithering with the diction of her words.

"Hi yes!" the Doctor leaned on the table. "My friend here," he pointed at Monica. "She needs to have a genetic test done.

The receptionist looked at Monica, and with a wave of her hand brought up a hologram. "Sure, hon! What scope are we looking? We have genetic data from species universe-wide--"

"Oh let's do universe-wide." The Doctor nodded quickly, and the receptionist typed on the hologram.

"Okay! Head to the elevators on your right, go to the 89th floor, and someone will help you."

"Right, thank you!" The Doctor chirped, sounding rather chipper. However, Monica felt trepidation sitting inside of her gut like a big black pen scribble.

* * *

The 89th floor was more white on white; it was starting to hurt Monica's eyes. When they got there, a very tall man with skin like an alligator approached them.

"Genetic test?" he asked. Monica and the Doctor nodded. "Okay, follow me! I'm Tyi'n by the way, your nurse!"

He led them to a room that was sectioned off with curtains, inside was a chair, a table, and on the table sat medical equipment and a blinking device with a screen.

"Have a seat." Tyi'n nodded.

Slowly Monica sat down on the hard white surface and took a deep breath.

"So, what are we looking for? Genetic disease? Mutation?" the nurse asked as he put on what looked like ordinary latex gloves, and picked up something from the table.

"The Doctor thinks I'm something more than human," Monica said, her voice cracking but she cleared her throat to over it.

Across from her, the nurse sat down on a stool and took her right hand. "The Doctor? Dr. Ull?" he asked, holding her index finger.

The Doctor laughed. "No, me," he said, watching as the nurse tapped Monica's finger with the small rectangle device. She winced at the prick and watched as blood slowly filled the clear device.

"Anddddddd done!" The nurse said, pulling the prick away.

"Is that it? I was expecting something so much worse." Monica said as she stared down at the tiny, tiny hole in the pad of her finger.

The nurse connected the vile to the blinking screened device. Once plugged in, there was a whooshing noise, as the blood was sucked out and pulled into the machine. An analyzing message flickered onto the screen. Monica gripped the sleeves of her denim jacket; the fast pace of her heart was almost painful.

'Analyzing...'

Again - Monica stared down at her hands. The lines of her fingerprints. The veins in her wrist.

'Analyzing...'

At the impending fear that her identity would be snapped out of existence, Monica felt the warm sting of tears. At that moment, she remembered a black and white picture of her grandparents from 1965 at the Watts Riots. Mascara tears on her grandmother's face, her grandfather gripping a brick in his left hand. During the Rodney King riots, her uncle Chris was there, and she had promised that when another riot happened, she would be there ready to face police dressed in swat gear.

'Analyzing...'

The Doctor turned and looked at Monica, and her tears stunned him. "Monica?" he knelt in front of her.

"I -- I don't know how to be anything but human. Doctor---" Monica choked, "My identity, everything I am. If I'm not human--then my culture." she put her hand to her chest. "It's everything."

"I know." The Doctor said, taking her hand.

Monica shook her head and gave him a withering look. "No, you don't." From cornbread and collard greens, from the slave ships her ancestors arrived on, to the music, the cook-outs, having to tell people 'don't touch my hair.' The pain, the forbidding, but also the infinite beauty and pride a Black-American, no one else could understand. If she wasn't human, then that history wasn't hers, then her identity was a grey hazy unknown.

"Huh?" the nurse said suddenly. At that, Monica shot up quickly and looked at the device.

"Homo sapien --" Seeing the scientific word for 'human' caused a surge of relief flood Monica's insides, but when she saw the numbers following he paused. "87.5%." With a shutter, Monica put her finger to the screen. "Yutntri--12.5%." Monica whipped around and stared at the Doctor, clearly demanding an answer, but the nurse spoke up.

"Yeah, that's the weird part. The Yutntri are extinct," he said casually, as he tapped on the screen. "The only reason we have their DNA profile is because when they were discovered scientists were able to extract genetic material from specimens that were in stasis. They were beautify preserved, but unfortunately dead."

"How did they die?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

"We suspect nuclear war." said the nurse somberly but he suddenly perked back up. "But! Obviously, they're not all gone because you're here. By the looks of it.- "he tapped the screen again, and her complete genome came up.

Her full existence summed up in the letters of GACU repeated in different sequences, a randomness that wasn't random.

"Looks like you share around 800 centimorgans with the ancestor who was Yutntri, so they were your Great" Tyi'n paused and narrowed his eyes at the information. "--paternal Grandfather!"

There was silence for a second from Monica and the Doctor, but while she stood there in shock, he was investigating the information on the screen.

"This makes sense," The Doctor uttered.

"None of this shit makes sense!" Monica yelped, "What? My great grandfather on my dad's side came to Earth to escape a nuclear war and banged with my great grandmother?"

At the question, there was another beat of silence. The nurse coughed and stood up from his stool. "Well, I'm going to let you two talk for a moment," he said, before leaving the curtained-off space.

"Yeah, sounds about right." The Doctor nodded.

"How is that possible for two completely different species from different planets to breed like that? How does this happen.? Monica jabbed a finger at the screen, now far more curious than terrified, now that her humanity was mostly intact.

The Doctor laughed, "Oh Monica, you would be surprised how much life wants to find a way."

Monica scrunched her face, "So what about the other thing?" she tapped where the scar on her chest was.

Turning his head, the Doctor peaked out of Curtin. "Psst Tyi'n, We need some more help in here."

"Sure, sure anything you need," Tyi'n said, stepping back in, but he awkwardly glanced between Monica and the Doctor.

"So Presumably there's a space ghost or demon is living in me and we need a fancy scan to see it," Monica said, digging around in her fanny pack until she pulled out a tube of lip gloss and applied some. "We tried one already, but I didn't work."

"I'm supposed to be only handling a genetic profile for you two," but he picked up the device from the table once again with a sigh, tapped on it and removed a thin controller from it. "Sir, can you please move?" Tyi'n asked, and the Doctor hurried from beside Monica. "You might want to close your eyes."

Monica clenched her eyes shut, and behind her eyelids, she saw a bright light only for a second. Out of curiosity, she peeked one eye open. A steady and bright stream of light beamed from the end of the remote; it tracked down her body as the nurse lowered it.

On the screen rendering of Monica's internal anatomy appeared.

"Oh. I've never seen that before." the nurse whispered utter his voice, not loud enough for Monica to hear.

Radiating from a mass in her chest were tendrils branching out like roots, growing into every organ, her heart, her lungs, and her brain. Monica walked over and pushed her way next to the nurse, trapping him between her and the Doctor.

"The fuck is that?" Monica gasped and pointed at the growth.

The nurse tapped on the screen only seeing: **_'No biological match found.'_**

Both Monica and the Doctor glanced at each other, Monica hoping he had an explanation, while the Doctor had no answers and the void in his knowledge made him uncomfortable. 


	5. Chapter 5

  
With a click, Monica's eyes opened, greeted by the sun mimicking light. She pressed her face into the smooth, crisp sheets not wanting to wake, the occurrences of the last 24 hours caused her to yearn for a long and eternal sleep. After a moment in silence, sighed and glanced around at the small green palm trees that decorated the space around the large circle bed. They hadn't been there previously. The Doctor had told her that the Tardis might alter her soundings to what it perceived as her aesthetic, and it had correctly chosen 'west coast vibes.' The fake morning sunlight, tropical plants, white on tan.

"How did I even sleep last night?" Monica questioned, with a jerk and a crack of her back, she got up and went to inspect the closet. Slowly she pulled open the sliding glass door. "Oh shit."

The Doctor hadn't been exaggerating about the endless closets. Mouth agape, Monica stepped into the boundless closet, a white void with infinite clothing options. Knowing where they would need to go to get answers, Monica decided to dress appropriately.

* * *

The tinny sound of footsteps coming down the stairs to the control room made the Doctor perk up.

"Ah, good morning!" he chirped, from the pilot's chair and did a double-take once he saw what she was wearing. "Are we going to a costume party, My Fair Lady?"

Running her tongue on her teeth, Monica smoothed her hand along the cinched waist of the cream Edwardian dress and titled her large hat to one side. The Doctor liked but was also wary of the smirk that was playing in the corner of her lips.

"The nurse said that the Yutntri DNA goes back to my great grandfather, correct?" Monica said, not giving him any time to agree. "So, that's 100-ish years ago," the heels of her ankle boots clacked on the grated floor as she strolled over to one of the screens. "Can I Google on this?" she asked, once again not waiting for him to speak already typing on the inter-dimensional typewriter.

"Monica, we can't go back there." The Doctor said, shaking his head, but Monica continued to type and hit the return key, and a result popped up.

Ruby Miller - Allensworth, CA - 1911

"I figure great-grandpa wouldn't come up, seeing has his human name was fake, but great-grandma shows up."

"No. We can't go back there; you can't visit your great grandparents. That could cause you not to be born. You would be surprised how many things aren't fixed points in time. I'm not letting you erase your existence." he pressed.

Teasingly Monica pouted, "Aw, are you already that fond of me?" she put her hand on her waist again, already feeling the discomfort of the dress. But she convinced herself quickly to ignore it and commit to the 'mission.' "Listen, doc. I get it, I can't interact with them, but I just want to take a peek." By the Doctors frown, she knew she had to push a little harder.

  
"Why did this thing that's living inside of me attach itself to someone whose Yutntri?" she smiled.

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and clenched his teeth. "Ughh," he threw his head back. "You got me! Fine, we'll go--" he relented, and the smile that cracked across Monica's face made him feel a tiny ping inside, he adored it. Not just Monica's, but all of the ones before her. That big grin of exploration had quickly turned to horror and tears before.

  
Quickly, he pushed that thought away and assured himself that this time would be different because Monica was something more than human. "But there will be rules. "he continued. "You can not tell them who you are, and until we know what the Yutntri are like, you can not speak to great grandfather at all. Who knows, he might be aware of what's inside of you."

Monica gave two thumbs up, "Okay, got it, got it. I won't say a thing. Let's go to that Old Town Road." she wasn't sure he got the reference, but she thought it was topical.

The Doctor sighed and rubbed the bridge between his eyes, "Okay, let me get changed."

* * *

The Tardis appeared under the vast black, star-filled sky. The wind rustled as the door creaked opened, and they both stepped out. The air was a particular type of clean that Monica's lungs had never experienced. Lack of pollution. Air quality impossible in 2019. She took another deep lung full, wanting to savor it.

Down the dirt road and in the distance sat a small town, only lit by gas lanterns.

"Allensworth, California, 1911." The Doctor noted, glancing around and twirling his walking stick. "You know this is the first California town, founded by African Americans," he said, but then noticed Monica's side-eyed expression. "Oh...right, you already knew that."

"How do we know my great-grandfather is already here? This could be the wrong date and time." Monica asked, tilting her head towards the sky.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and fiddled with it for a second. "Well, there's an anomaly, not made of anything from Earth, and it's going to land outside of town."

"Wait, this is when he lands here? Well, shit, we have to go!" Monica urged and was surprised by the Doctor's stern expression as he stared at her. "Umm. I'm getting a weird vibe off you right now…"

"Monica, you have to remember what I told you," he said, the light on the sonic screwdriver blinking red and beeping into the night.

"Doctor, you think the thing living in me is going to let me risk its existence?"

The Doctor blinked at her. "Oh," he straightened his tie. "Right! You're a genius, Monica -" He paused, "I just realized I don't believe I know your last name. Oh my goodness, how rude of me I-"

Suddenly, Monica grabbed his hand, her dark eyes wide and focused on the blinking light. "Ay! Doctor, can we do this later!? It's getting closer!"

The 'Ay!' was different to his ears, so used to hearing 'Oi!' from his companions. 

Without another word, The Doctor took off running west, and Monica quickly followed. Monica glanced up, frantically every few seconds, expecting to see something flickering above them. Then, without warning, the expectations became real; but it didn't appear how she thought it would.

Instead, it flickered into existence from seemingly nothing. The small silver craft moved quickly considerably less than something that ripped thought the atmosphere.

"It's going to land in the field in front of us." The Doctor yelled, jumping over a medium wood fence with no issue.

However, Monica struggled to clear the fence, mostly due to the restrictive dress, but also shorter legs. The Doctor reached his hand, and she took it, still rattled by how fully human he felt. Almost over the fence, Monica saw the craft smack the ground. Dirt, grass, and chunks of rock went flying in the air, but there was no sound.

Not a crash, not a boom. Utter silence.

With Monica finally over the fence, they stood frozen for a moment, watching the clouds of Earth a few yards away. In the distance, a light caught their attention, and it was then they saw the small house sitting slightly above the hill.

"We need to hide," The Doctor urged, taking her by her arm and rushing behind a small crooked shed on the property.

From the house, a female voice yelled through the darkness, "Who's there!? What was that?"

"Holy shit. Holy shit." Monica whispered under her breath. The light from the house moved closer, and then a door banged shut. Standing on the back stoop, they both could make out the faint silhouette of a woman, the lantern she held illuminating only part of her.

"I'm armed!" she called, raising a handgun in the air before she moved closer to where the craft crashed on her property, the white cotton nightgown she wore made her look eerie in the low light.

Even though the details of her face couldn't be seen clearly in the darkness, Monica uttered, "It's her."

Once Ruth got close enough to the small crater, she hesitated and looked up to the sky. A whirring sound cut the air; Ruth jumped back and almost fell. The hood of the craft slowly opened, the inside emitting a low neon pink light that made Ruth's face visible. The glass inside of her round wire glasses reflected the light obscuring her eyes, but she had long brown hair and a nose that Monica recognized as the same one shared by her father and aunt.

Under the moon, a hand reached out from the craft and grabbed the side. Ruth didn't scream, nor run away, only watching in wonder as someone slowly stepped out. His whole head was obscured by a black helmet, that reflected the pink light behind them, dressed entirely in the blackest of blacks, he slowly they stood up at full height, towering above Ruth who was shaking, speechless and wide-eyed.

"Don't -- Don't come any closer," Ruth warned, dropping the lantern to the dirt, the candle inside flickering out. "I'll shoot you." without fear, she raised the gun. However, he went oddly limp and collapsed to his knees.

"Please help me…" he said, the tone of his lied somewhere in the uncanny valley, understandable in English but otherworldly, he desperately trying to remove the helmet, but failing due to shaking hands.

  
Slowly, Ruth put the gun down, got to knees as well, and grabbed the base of the helmet. With a tug, it came off, and she saw her future husband's face for the first time.

Nor Monica or the Doctor could see what he looked like, due to his back being to them, but Ruth's expression was enough. There was no fear, no disgust, only honest wonder.  
  
With a sniffle, Monica whipped away tears that suddenly overwhelmed her. The Doctor said nothing, unsure as to why she was crying.

"Come, let's get you inside," Ruth said, helping him up to his feet. Slowly they moved up the hill, at their retreat, the ship door closed, folding in on itself taking the pink light with it.

In the darkness, Monica wondered how many people in her family knew this.

**_None. Some. All?_ **


End file.
